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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies

After
a loooong time of not hanging out with my other teacher friends, we finally made
time to hang out on Saturday night. We all work at the same school but we never
even get to see each other at work and when we do, all there is time for is a
quick hello or a wave. Sad, right? I have missed my friends and am so glad we
got the chance to enjoy some burgers, chips, salad, cookies, Bezzerwizzer and
Bananagrams.

A
couple of hours before hang time, I pulled out loose bags of flour, a sad
looking banana, and leftover heavy whipping cream that needed to be used. These
items were placed on the counter and after some pondering, a recipe began to
develop in my little head. Ingredients and directions were jotted on my cooking
notebook and I was ready for action with some queasiness in my stomach. When
I’m baking with no basic recipe to start from, I get nervous… cooking is never
a problem because it is easy to add spices and herbs and taste as I go. However,
it’s different with baking, once the batter is in the oven, there’s nothing one
can do but fret and hope it turns out edible (at the least).

Today
I said goodbye to all-purpose flour… the last little bit in the pantry was used
up in these cookies. For a while now, I have been baking with whole wheat or
spelt flour, not just because they have more nutrients but also because they
taste richer, fuller, and nuttier. Please note that I encourage the use of
either whole wheat or spelt flour in these cookies rather than all-purpose, I
would have done the same except for I hate being wasteful and just really
needed to use up all the leftover all-purpose flour.

These
cookies only contain a half cup of sugar, a small amount of chocolate chips,
and some coconut flakes. Cookies do not have to be laden with sugar… cutting
back on unnecessary evil here. There is no butter in these cookies either…
there is, however, some coconut oil, which has 35% more fat calories than
butter but is supposedly better for us than butter (who knows?). I also used heavy
whipping cream, which (on the bright side) has 50% less fat/per serving than
butter. Too much thinking there already, I will stop. Really, I just used the
coconut oil because of its nice tropical aroma and the wonderful coconut flavor
that it adds to the cookies.

Each
cookie resembles a chocolate chip banana bread. Plain, simple, comforting, and
delicious! Of course! Who does not like banana bread with chocolate chips?
Especially if they’re made a little more special by being turned into
teeny-tiny cookies? My friends loved it! I may suck at trivia games, but I can
make semi-healthy cookies that are delicious and almost guilt-free. Ever heard
of Bezzerwizzer? If you are awful with trivia, call me and I will send DFJ your
way so he can save you. We won and I can’t take any credit for our points
because it was all him. (Beware though, he takes his sweet time thinking…)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies (Makes 46-50
small cookies)

1
and ¼ cup all-purpose flour

generous
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1
tsp baking powder

¼
tsp baking soda

½
tsp salt

1
overripe banana, mashed

¾
cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup
brown sugar, loosely packed

1
tsp vanilla extract

1
egg

4
tbsp coconut oil

½
cup sweetened coconut flakes

½
cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/3
cup old fashioned rolled oats

a
tad of coconut oil, for greasing the baking sheet

In
a large mixing bowl, whisk together well the all-purpose and whole wheat pastry
flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In
a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the mashed banana, whipping cream, sugar, and
vanilla with an electric mixer on low just until combined. Add the egg and
coconut oil and mix on low until well-combined.

Slowly
pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture while mixing on low until everything
is well-combined and the batter is smooth.

Beat
the coconut flakes into the batter on low until well-combined. Fold the
chocolate chips and oats into the batter.

Preheat
the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using
the palms of your hands, grease the baking sheet with a bit of coconut oil. Using
a cookie scoop, scoop one ball of dough at a time and plop onto the baking
sheet evenly. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, make small dough balls (make
sure to grease your palms because the dough is quite sticky).

Bake
for 20 minutes until the edges and the tops of the cookies turn slightly brown.

About Me

Hello, my name is Margarita. I try to live a healthy lifestyle by eating well and working out. I am a cooking enthusiast and I like sharing my love for good food. Most of my recipes contain lots of vegetables and perhaps a bit of meat here and there. Staying active is one of the things that keep me sane. I love doing yoga, walking, hiking, biking, lifting weights, and occasional running. Join me in my food, travel, and life adventures and together let's eat well, cook right, live strong, and be healthy!